1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 288 Missed
Zhang Qiren looked over and saw a long-nose truck coming towards him, which he estimated could carry a lot of vegetables. His expression turned to surprise.

"Old Chen, you didn't bring another truckload of green peppers, did you? If so, you're going to make some money!"

"I also wanted green peppers, but alas, it's bok choy." Chen Jiazhi shook his head and went back to the stall to direct the vehicles to stop and unload the goods.

Zhang Qiren was taken aback upon hearing this, and murmured, "Cabbage? Oh, that's right, you've always had cabbage too."

Stall number 63 is now most famous for its green peppers, and before that, it's known for its snow peas.

Although Chinese cabbage has been available for a long time, it has never been very popular, with a maximum yield of only two or three thousand kilograms. The same applies to mustard greens and Chinese kale.

However, Chen Jiazhi's long-term strategy still revolves around leafy greens such as bok choy.

After parking the truck, He Qiang and his team, who had just finished unloading two truckloads of green peppers totaling 11 tons, immediately began unloading bok choy.

Chen Jiazhi and Li Xiu came to the side to inspect the goods. The bok choy was packed in bamboo baskets, with straw and newspaper separating the two baskets. The handmade quality was not as good as their own, but it was still quite neat.

Chen Jiazhi took out the top few layers of vegetables from the basket that had been unloaded earlier. Without any preservation measures, the hearts of the middle and lower layers of vegetables were slightly warm.

Xue Jun also felt the temperature of the bok choy and said, "We started loading the truck at seven o'clock, and it took us about three and a half hours to get here and join the market. It didn't take much of a delay, so the vegetables should be fine, right?"

"Hmm~" Chen Jiazhi pondered, "It hasn't been wet, so there shouldn't be any major problems. It can be sold. How many are there in total?"

Xue Jun said, "It's about 8 tons, but there's no fixed weight for each basket. We have to weigh it on the spot when we sell it."

"Hmm~"

At this moment, Li Xiu tugged at Chen Jiazhi's sleeve. Someone was asking about the price of the bok choy, but Chen Jiazhi still set the price at 6 mao per jin.

The purchase price is 45 cents, and the price difference is 15 cents. If the vegetables are sold out smoothly, the gross profit of a truckload of vegetables is 2400 yuan.

However, after deducting costs such as freight, handling fees, entry fees, losses, and labor, the net profit of a truckload of vegetables can be over 5% relative to the input cost, which is quite good.

If you can wholesale fifty or sixty tons a day, the profit can be quite considerable.

However, it's currently difficult for the choy sum at stall number 63 to sell in large quantities.

Aside from a group of long-term clients, we've actually acquired relatively few new clients in this market.

The main reason is that there are plenty of vegetables in the market recently, especially leafy greens. Stall number 63 is attracting customers with its green peppers and has a price advantage, so it might be able to sell out this truckload of vegetables.

time flies.

The green peppers and bok choy were all unloaded at the stall.

As usual, the green peppers were all sold out by around 2 a.m., so Chen Jiazhi and Li Xiu went to sleep in the car, leaving Xue Jun to guard the stall alone.

The two of them got up when it was dawn.

Xue Jun said, "There are still two tons of bok choy left. There will be more small customers after dawn. If we can hold out for a while, we should be able to sell them all."

Chen Jiazhi said, "Why don't you go to the car and get some sleep? We'll sell the rest."

Xue Jun was sorting vegetables and said with a smile, "It's okay, we can go back to bed and sleep more comfortably after we sell them all."

"Alright, you guys keep an eye on things, I'll go take a look around the market."

After daybreak, there weren't as many vegetables left in the market.

Especially the stalls in the best positions at the front, they were basically all closing down.

However, some stalls have started restocking, especially those selling vegetables that can be stored for a long time, such as winter melon and pumpkin, which are being replenished by truckload.

The overall market was relatively stable with average prices, but trading volume was high.

By 9 a.m., the first truckload of 8 tons of bok choy from stall number 63 had finally sold out. It was a very hard-won sale; towards the end, they sold as many as they could, even at a loss.

Because the vegetables were left overnight without ice to keep them fresh, they were more likely to rot over time.

In Guangdong, the most important thing is that the vegetables must be fresh.

"Oh dear, finally sold out!"

"knock off!"

Xue Jun asked, "How about we calculate the sales figures? Did we make a profit or a loss?"

“It’s already been calculated.” Chen Jiazhi had already come up with a figure. “Not bad. Even after deducting your and Xue Jun’s wages, there’s still a profit of about 400 yuan each.”

Making money on the first truck was undoubtedly a good start, and it greatly encouraged Xue Jun.

"Shall we send another truckload of bok choy today?"

“Send it!” Chen Jiazhi pondered. “If it makes money, send a truckload back. From now on, you and Li Cai will work together. One of you will buy the vegetables outside, and the other will sell them at the stall. The vegetables from Jiangxin Market will also leave you with some profit.”

"it is good!"

That night, green peppers at stall number 63 in Jiangxin Market sold for 4.8 yuan, far exceeding the 400 yuan profit from bok choy, but it had a different meaning.

It was after this that Chen Jiazhi had Chen Zhengxu register the company's business license, which was then issued.

The name was decided long ago: Reliable Fresh Agriculture Co., Ltd.

The legal representative is also Chen Jiazhi.

The company mainly operates in two sectors: vegetable sorting and distribution, and vegetable wholesale, which are respectively managed by Chen Zhengxu and Li Cai.

Li Xiu will temporarily take on the administrative and financial responsibilities, while Chen Jiazhi will oversee the overall operations.

The office is located next to the sorting room of the distribution center, and it is fully equipped with desks, chairs, landline phones, etc.

Currently, Chen Jiazhi and Li Xiu travel to and from the vegetable market together every day, resolving any issues that arise.

Meanwhile, the sale of vegetables at Jiangxin Market has been officially handed over to stall number 63 for sale.

The stalls earn different commissions. Taking green peppers as an example, they charge 400 yuan per ton. Based on the current volume, they can earn more than 4,000 yuan in commissions in one night.

But for the market, the cost of two yuan per kilogram for green peppers is perfectly acceptable.

...

Before we knew it, it was the afternoon of May 18th.

A dark cloud suddenly drifted into the previously bright sky, and Chen Jiazhi, sitting in his office, could feel the sky darken noticeably.

Then I heard all sorts of noises coming from outside the window.

It's going to rain!

"The sky has changed!"

The windows rattled loudly in the wind, followed by the urgent shouts of Yi Dinggan and the group leaders.

"Quickly cover it with plastic film!"

"Put down what you're doing right now!" "Quick, quick, get running!"

Chen Jiazhi also put down his work and stepped out of the office, where he saw dark clouds in the sky.

It looks like a heavy rain is really going to fall.

The vegetable workers in the fields were already running around, dividing into sections, groups, and teams, rushing to cover the fields with plastic film.

The team leaders were running around directing the work, shouts echoing throughout the room, and administrative staff such as Xu Yao, Huang Chuan, and Tong Gang also went to help.

Only the 300 mu of land in the south needed to be covered with plastic film. Yi Dinggan transferred people from the north to the south to help. The whole vegetable market was in complete chaos, just like Li Yunlong attacking Ping'an County.

Chen Jiazhi didn't go to cause trouble; he just stood on the second floor watching the workers move around, silently calculating in his mind.

More than 200 people covered 300 mu of land, in groups of two, with each group covering 3 mu.

Because water is pumped and piped for irrigation, there is no need for manure scoops. A small arched shed is designed to be 8 meters long, 1.5 meters wide, and 12 square meters. Excluding furrows, there are about 50 sheds per acre.

It takes anywhere from 5 to 10 seconds to build a single shed, averaging 9 sheds per minute...

"It will take about 20 minutes to finish covering it."

Because there is no micro-sprinkler irrigation, the vegetable beds are a bit short; if they were longer, they would grow faster.

After watching for a while, the raindrops began to fall. When the rain was heavy, the plastic film of the small arched shed was completely covered, and the raindrops pattered on it.

"It feels like a coordinated team operation!"

"I hope my efforts will be worthwhile."

Chen Jiazhi murmured that he felt the rain wasn't particularly heavy. It would affect the growth of leafy vegetables, but it wouldn't cause flooding. Most vegetable fields should not be submerged.

Fortunately, with the protection of the small greenhouse, the leafy vegetables can still easily stand out in terms of appearance.

It becomes more and more obvious as time goes on.

Chen Jiazhi then turned his head to look at the foam box factory where equipment installation was already underway.

Once the packaging standards are standardized again, Jiangxin Market will fully inherit the "appearance" advantage of Dongxiang Market.

As long as the appearance and packaging of the dishes are far better than others, there's no need to worry about sales.

The workers gradually sought shelter from the rain, and Yi Dinggan and the team leaders also ran back to the office building, muttering to themselves.

"This rain came incredibly fast!"

"I got soaked to the bone, all my clothes are drenched!"

"That's exactly how it should rain, the heavier the better, so that vegetable prices will rise quickly." Yi Ding chuckled dryly, "Our first batch of bok choy will be ready soon."

The group went upstairs, and Chen Jiazhi lit cigarettes for each of them. Once they started smoking, they were all in high spirits again.

"I have to say, apart from the tiring work of covering it with plastic film, the small arched greenhouse is really useful for keeping out the rain!" Li Mingkun said proudly, "Even with such heavy rain, my vegetable plots didn't get wet."

"Let it rain, let it rain, let the rain fall harder and longer," Yi Dinggan muttered to himself. "There are only 15 days left until the Dragon Boat Festival, this dragon boat rain should be coming soon."

However, the rain came and went quickly; it stopped again after a short while.

However, the sky remained overcast, and it was possible that it would continue to rain, so the plastic film remained on.

I don't dare pick green peppers on rainy days, not only because they are prone to disease, but also because they have a short shelf life. If you dare to pick them and sell them, others will dare to lower the price.

The market suddenly became quiet, and the workers had to leave work early.

Chen Jiazhi also called Xia Youche and Xue Jun one after another: It's raining today and there are no vegetables.

After making the two phone calls, the sound of rain started again outside.

Chen Jiazhi wanted to call Li Cai and ask him to send back two more truckloads of vegetables if it didn't rain in Foshan.

However, Li Cai did not have a fixed way to contact him, and he usually took the initiative to call back.

This made Chen Jiazhi desperately miss his cell phone.

When it rains in Huacheng, the vegetable supply is easily affected, especially leafy greens.
At this point, it's easy to make money from the information gap by shipping dried goods from other places to the market.

After changing his mind, Chen Jiazhi called Xue Jun again.

"If Li Cai calls you and asks him to arrange for two more truckloads of leafy greens to be sent over tonight, the vegetables should sell better tonight and tomorrow."

"Good~"

However, while the idea was wonderful, it was too late in reality.

It didn't rain during the day in Foshan, but it started raining at night, so Li Cai didn't have time to organize the supply of goods.

Vegetables that didn't get rained on that night were indeed more in demand.

This small opportunity was missed.

Li Cai was also annoyed when he found out, realizing that he hadn't left a fixed contact number or should have called back sooner.

But this thing is hard to predict.

After that rain, Huacheng experienced two more intermittent rain showers.

Similar to last year, the production of green peppers at Jiangxin Market has been directly affected, with a significant increase in flower and fruit drop.

The harvest was suspended for three consecutive days, and it wasn't until the evening of May 22nd that it resumed.

A truckload of 7 tons was shipped to Hong Kong.

Two other trucks carrying 13 tons each were sent to stall number 63. At the same time, Li Cai sent back a truckload of bok choy, and a truckload of high-quality green vegetables also arrived from Dongxiang Vegetable Market.

We produce about 26 or 27 tons of vegetables a day, and sales are going very well.

By daybreak, they were all sold out.

As they were preparing to pack up, Chen Jiazhi noticed that a large truckload of winter melons had arrived at Zhang Qiren's stall next door.

When asked, they said they were busy stockpiling goods.

Due to the recent increase in rainfall, many people in the market are stocking up on goods, especially vegetables that can be stored for a long time, such as winter melon and potatoes.

"Jiazhi, the cold storage will be ready soon. Why don't we stock up on some winter melons? The Dragon Boat Festival is coming soon, and the market should be booming."

On the way home, Li Xiu also made the suggestion to Chen Jiazhi.

"You can't hoard it. When everyone is hoarding goods, you're likely to be in trouble."

The Dragon Boat Festival falls on June 2nd this year, which is still ten days away, and there are still many things that can change.

(End of this chapter)